A shout out to Living Underwater dive op/The joy of bringing a new diver to the sport!

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dundles

Registered
Messages
14
Reaction score
21
Location
Colorado
# of dives
100 - 199
Rather than giving a full trip report, I thought I would just hit a few high points from our trip to Coz last week. 13-20 Feb.
Last time I was here was in the 80's. Started diving in my mid teens, and this was my first big trip..circa 1978. I'll save you seeing the pics of me in my cutoffs....:eek:. Anyway, this trip was to cap off my wife getting her OW. She was originally a bit reluctant when I first asked her about diving. (we are married 7 yrs, both our first. i was 53, she was 41....so far, so great) She did get a resort dive in when we were in Maui, had a good experience so she said yes. The quick and dirty is that she could have easily bailed along the way due to bad experiences, but she stuck with it. Her OW cert dives were in Homestead crater in Utah (a 95F hot springs). IMHO a terrible place to do it. Like diving in a hot tub, including the people "spa-ing" above you. She got a little overcome by the heat, but made it through. Felt a bit "fainty". I attributed it to the heat. We made our plan for a trip to Coz. I struggled a bit with whether the currents would be too much for a first timer, but ultimately figured it was my first place years back. We only had a week, so it is the best option from the Denver area.

We were blown out the first day, the 14th. We had signed on to dive with Living Underwater. This is where the shoutout begins. Jeremy was outstanding with communication. We originally set up for Monday, Tues, perhaps a twilight/night Thurs, and Fri, optional Saturday. My wife had struggled a bit clearing one ear, so I figured it might be slow descending in the beginning. I requested a private DM, and Jeremy got things set up. Adrian was our DM. First dive Tues, she couldn't get down initially and the currents were strong. The other six divers and Pepe (the main DM) had already descended and were gone. We were getting blown towards the deep, so we signaled the boat and they came quickly for us to re board. Adrian quickly called an audible. He had the captain take us to the shallows to give us more time. We made a second attempt. No luck, after 5 minutes at 10 feet, my wife waived off and we got her back to the boat. I was crestfallen for her. She was feeling dizzy. Adrian and myself continued on after she was safely on board. It was a great dive, as he kept us in and out of nooks and crannies to avoid much of the strong current. We dove again for the second dive, my wife stayed topside. During the surface interval, we spoke with two of the other divers. Both women, both said they had terrible problems with motion sickness/vertigo. They suggested my wife try Bonine. One woman commented that after her first dive, she was on her hands and knees aboard the boat due to motion problems. Since then she has logged 400 dives without issue, with the help of Bonine. We decided to give it a shot, it was likely the last resort. I was very clear with my wife that there was no pressure to try it, or to continue diving if she felt at all afraid or uncomfortable. She is a determined Irish farm girl. We got her meds, and gave it a go the next morning. Adrian had another suggestion for us.....he would toss a bouy over the side when we entered, descend and hold the end of the lne for us. This allowed my wife to have a line to steady on, and I could keep close eye contact. Day and night! Totally different diver. She equalized fairly quickly and we descended to the sandy bottom about 25' below. No vertigo, all systems go. From there, I held her hand and off we went. It was all good until I could feel her hand spasming in mine.....she was shivering cold. 30 minutes in, we took her back up (had stayed at about 25' the whole dive). Adrian took her to the surface, and I stayed at 15'. Once she was aboard, we finished off dive with another 37 minutes.

Ok, back to the drawing board. On our day off we scoured town for a full 5mm suit. I was doubtful, as my wife is tall, but thin. The dive gods were looking out for us, and at Aqua Pro we found a suit that we hoped would work. Back to the dive boat we went on Friday. She again did well with equalizing and we descended. She had asked me if we could stay at 25', I told her we would try but that in all honesty she would not notice how deep we were. I initially held her hand, but as I lost a leg above the knee years ago, it was a bit cumbersome while kicking with one fin. Adrian jumped in and took over the honors. I wouldn't normally be thrilled with a guy holding my wife's hand for an hour, but it seemed appropriate :eyebrow: Finally, we got her a great dive!! About halfway through, I noticed her look at her computer.....68'....she looked at me with wide eyes, and I almost choked laughing.
The next dive she flew solo. Pretty damn good buoyancy for a rookie. Hands folded in her lap the last half of the dive. When we surfaced, she said "oh man, I wish we didn't have to come up" followed by "I get it now". I had waxed poetic about diving. It was a great experience to watch her grind it out, to push on when many would have bailed. Fun to see the "aha" moment. We're talking about a liveaboard to the Galapagos in 2024/5 for my retirement and her 50th :yeahbaby:

I can't say enough about the guys at Living Underwater. They always were looking for a way to get her comfortable. Super communication, friendly, professional, dedicated, patient, funny. Capt Andre drives a great boat. Pepe is an outstanding DM. Ricardo was always right there assisting with equipment. Jeremy clearly cares about his crew, his customers and his business. Last but not least, Adrian I cannot thank you enough for the dedication and caring you showed my wife and I. You guys opened a new world to my best buddy! (which is goooood for me too!)

If you are planning a trip to Coz, and looking for a dive op, I give my strongest recommendation for Living Underwater. A fast boat for 8 divers max. They supplied water, fruit, snacks, big warm jackets between dives. As a side note, for me diving with one leg, this boat was perfect. Seated back entry from my spot on the boat saved me from having to get gear help to the back of the boat for that type of entry on many of the local boats.

On land.....
we loved:
guidos
jeanies
rock n java
casa mission
money bar
 
Now that's a fantastic story to hear! So glad patience and grace were shown and she came out on the other side a happy and safe diver! Now you'll have many wonderful memories to create! Thanks for sharing good news!
 
Rather than giving a full trip report, I thought I would just hit a few high points from our trip to Coz last week. 13-20 Feb.
Last time I was here was in the 80's. Started diving in my mid teens, and this was my first big trip..circa 1978. I'll save you seeing the pics of me in my cutoffs....:eek:. Anyway, this trip was to cap off my wife getting her OW. She was originally a bit reluctant when I first asked her about diving. (we are married 7 yrs, both our first. i was 53, she was 41....so far, so great) She did get a resort dive in when we were in Maui, had a good experience so she said yes. The quick and dirty is that she could have easily bailed along the way due to bad experiences, but she stuck with it. Her OW cert dives were in Homestead crater in Utah (a 95F hot springs). IMHO a terrible place to do it. Like diving in a hot tub, including the people "spa-ing" above you. She got a little overcome by the heat, but made it through. Felt a bit "fainty". I attributed it to the heat. We made our plan for a trip to Coz. I struggled a bit with whether the currents would be too much for a first timer, but ultimately figured it was my first place years back. We only had a week, so it is the best option from the Denver area.

We were blown out the first day, the 14th. We had signed on to dive with Living Underwater. This is where the shoutout begins. Jeremy was outstanding with communication. We originally set up for Monday, Tues, perhaps a twilight/night Thurs, and Fri, optional Saturday. My wife had struggled a bit clearing one ear, so I figured it might be slow descending in the beginning. I requested a private DM, and Jeremy got things set up. Adrian was our DM. First dive Tues, she couldn't get down initially and the currents were strong. The other six divers and Pepe (the main DM) had already descended and were gone. We were getting blown towards the deep, so we signaled the boat and they came quickly for us to re board. Adrian quickly called an audible. He had the captain take us to the shallows to give us more time. We made a second attempt. No luck, after 5 minutes at 10 feet, my wife waived off and we got her back to the boat. I was crestfallen for her. She was feeling dizzy. Adrian and myself continued on after she was safely on board. It was a great dive, as he kept us in and out of nooks and crannies to avoid much of the strong current. We dove again for the second dive, my wife stayed topside. During the surface interval, we spoke with two of the other divers. Both women, both said they had terrible problems with motion sickness/vertigo. They suggested my wife try Bonine. One woman commented that after her first dive, she was on her hands and knees aboard the boat due to motion problems. Since then she has logged 400 dives without issue, with the help of Bonine. We decided to give it a shot, it was likely the last resort. I was very clear with my wife that there was no pressure to try it, or to continue diving if she felt at all afraid or uncomfortable. She is a determined Irish farm girl. We got her meds, and gave it a go the next morning. Adrian had another suggestion for us.....he would toss a bouy over the side when we entered, descend and hold the end of the lne for us. This allowed my wife to have a line to steady on, and I could keep close eye contact. Day and night! Totally different diver. She equalized fairly quickly and we descended to the sandy bottom about 25' below. No vertigo, all systems go. From there, I held her hand and off we went. It was all good until I could feel her hand spasming in mine.....she was shivering cold. 30 minutes in, we took her back up (had stayed at about 25' the whole dive). Adrian took her to the surface, and I stayed at 15'. Once she was aboard, we finished off dive with another 37 minutes.

Ok, back to the drawing board. On our day off we scoured town for a full 5mm suit. I was doubtful, as my wife is tall, but thin. The dive gods were looking out for us, and at Aqua Pro we found a suit that we hoped would work. Back to the dive boat we went on Friday. She again did well with equalizing and we descended. She had asked me if we could stay at 25', I told her we would try but that in all honesty she would not notice how deep we were. I initially held her hand, but as I lost a leg above the knee years ago, it was a bit cumbersome while kicking with one fin. Adrian jumped in and took over the honors. I wouldn't normally be thrilled with a guy holding my wife's hand for an hour, but it seemed appropriate :eyebrow: Finally, we got her a great dive!! About halfway through, I noticed her look at her computer.....68'....she looked at me with wide eyes, and I almost choked laughing.
The next dive she flew solo. Pretty damn good buoyancy for a rookie. Hands folded in her lap the last half of the dive. When we surfaced, she said "oh man, I wish we didn't have to come up" followed by "I get it now". I had waxed poetic about diving. It was a great experience to watch her grind it out, to push on when many would have bailed. Fun to see the "aha" moment. We're talking about a liveaboard to the Galapagos in 2024/5 for my retirement and her 50th :yeahbaby:

I can't say enough about the guys at Living Underwater. They always were looking for a way to get her comfortable. Super communication, friendly, professional, dedicated, patient, funny. Capt Andre drives a great boat. Pepe is an outstanding DM. Ricardo was always right there assisting with equipment. Jeremy clearly cares about his crew, his customers and his business. Last but not least, Adrian I cannot thank you enough for the dedication and caring you showed my wife and I. You guys opened a new world to my best buddy! (which is goooood for me too!)

If you are planning a trip to Coz, and looking for a dive op, I give my strongest recommendation for Living Underwater. A fast boat for 8 divers max. They supplied water, fruit, snacks, big warm jackets between dives. As a side note, for me diving with one leg, this boat was perfect. Seated back entry from my spot on the boat saved me from having to get gear help to the back of the boat for that type of entry on many of the local boats.

On land.....
we loved:
guidos
jeanies
rock n java
casa mission
money bar
They are a great crew and a great op. Been diving with them for decades. Nobody ever gets rattled or upset or angry. Well, unless you turn up at the pier drunk. Then Jeremy won't let you on the boat.
 
Congratulations to your wife! One of the things I love about scuba is that it is not a competitive sport. You don't have to outrace anybody, get it in just one try, or be the best. You just have to get there. If that's 'eventually,' so be it.

Richard.
 
Great story and I'm not surprised. So happy to read such a report! Living Underwater resides among the top 10 dive ops on the island. My wife has had issues equalizing in the past and several years ago during a visit with her GP he noticed fluid in her ears (which isn't uncommon). He told her to start using Flonase or the generic equivalent every day and since then no more equalizing problems... Not a single one. She also had sea sickness issues but we got that treated as well and never a problem since. Only thing left for you to do is book your next trip!
 
Nothing beats perseverance.
 
Was cruising along reading your report and read "Adrian" - OMG - is it my absolute favorite DM for 20+ years? I follow him to any shop he works for. If so, lucky you & your wife... as you indicated. I got certified, did Advanced, and then, with Adrian I actually learned how to dive. He is a gem.😍
 

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Was cruising along reading your report and read "Adrian" - OMG - is it my absolute favorite DM for 20+ years? I follow him to any shop he works for. If so, lucky you & your wife... as you indicated. I got certified, did Advanced, and then, with Adrian I actually learned how to dive. He is a gem.😍
Yep same guy.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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